best lens for bird photography nikon best lens for bird photography nikon

We also have bird lenses for Nikon and Canon. This fast lens features snappy autofocus, a 400mm telephoto, and top-quality lens construction by Nikon. The best lenses for bird photography will help you get close to wildlife and there are great options for every camera mount Included in this guide: 1 Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Check Price 2 Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Check Price 3 Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Check Price 4 Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM Check Price 5 Nikon The Sports model is a superior lens for photographing birds. Autofocus itself is very fast and image quality is fabulous. Your prices on the three lenses are off by over $2000.! Do you want a zoom lens that offers a focal range from up close to far in the distance? Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR At a glance: 95mm filter thread 2.2m minimum focus 268mm length x 108mm diameter Weighs 2300g Nikon F mount Price: 1,399 / $1396 Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary, 15. Further anti-reflection technologies help create even sharper pictures with great picture quality. Theres no other difference between the two versions. The equivalent lenses in full frame would be approximately 24mm f2, 45mm f2, and 85mm f2. Zoom lenses carry the advantage of flexibility. This lens still has no equal in Z mount (or any other mount) and thus I have seen quite a few people adapting it to their Z50 cameras for a very lightweight and capable setup. Camera body with a lens without zoom for shooting portraits. I added this lens to the list because it is so good, but it is also questionable whether it is still worth its price, given that you can get a Nikon Z9 and a Z 800mm f/6.3 and still have over $4000 to spare. A prime lens may force you to, though, unless you know the exact bird locations and schedule. I am a wildlife photographer, started in the 70s. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Instead, you need to decide which camera is perfect for YOU. I make sure that you get the best articles about photography. It really depends on the types of subjects that you shoot. Theres a more effective, triple-mode image stabilizer and the Mark II also gains weather-seals and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. Birds are often tiny, very fast, and since it happens in the wild, theres no control over the light. The addition of highly effective optical VR that works in tandem with IBIS in Z system full-frame cameras should ensure exceptionally sharp avian images. New York, That is all the reach you will need. Many aspiring wildlife shooters will no doubt be aware of the stratospheric prices of supertelephotos. Built from the ground up as an APS-C format lens, it only needs to produce a relatively small image circle, compared with a full-frame compatible lens, but is still pretty weighty for a 100-400mm zoom. The biggest consideration when buying a Nikon lens for bird photography is focal length. Capturing stunning images of birds is not easy, and you definitely need the right lens to be able to do it. First, it is 0.63 stops faster, which although small, does make a difference in challenging wildlife conditions. Hand-holding, the Nikon D500, feels better. At 400mm, it's a powerful super-telephoto lens suited to wildlife and action photography, with or without a tripod. The NIKKOR 300mm is not a zoom lens with a varied focal length. No matter the focal length of the lens, the closer you are, the bigger the subject. Lots of opinions why this and that lens is not on the list. The Nikon Z 100-400mm is currently the only Nikon zoom for Z-mount that has some reach. Having VR is a definite plus when hand-holding the lens. Nikon D7500 with Tamron 100-400 Lens Zoomed Out (with Hood) Picking the best camera for bird photography on a budget means balancing competing requirements. As of January 2022, Nikon just released their latest addition to the Z mirrorless system lens line-up. Guide To Nikon Cameras For Birds. This is a lens you'll want to partner with a sturdy monopod for long periods of shooting. From the basics of My 350 Nikon Wildlife Photography Kit D300 300mm F4 Af Lens to the latest trends and innovations, you'll find a wide range of articles that cover all aspects of this field. Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary. Thus, if you are still using a Nikon 200-500 on an F-mount camera and are looking to transition to Z-mount, I would wait for this lens to come out, instead of buying one of the other Nikon Z lenses above. Works well with Nikon Z6 using FTZ lens adapter. It all works together very well, except that stabilization can be relatively ineffective for panning. Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. For more of our top wildlife photography gear recommendations, check out the Best Lenses for Wildlife Photography. This telephoto zoom lens can capture beautiful images of birds far in the distance as well as birds who fly closer to you. Best Canon: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Best Canon premium: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens Best Nikon: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Best Nikon premium: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED When looking at lenses, consider how they'll interact with your camera sensor. Nikon has always been a great choice for wildlife shooters. The Sonys size and weight are fairly typical but feel a little more imposing on comparatively lightweight Sony Alpha mirrorless bodies. I believe this article might have been written before that lens, not sure but an update to this article is coming soon. You are a bit mixed up. If you dont have your lens with you, it cant help you capture stunning bird images, so youll want to factor in the weight of lens you choose. Do you have any recommendations or questions? Due to its massive size, this lens requires a good tripod setup. Except that one. Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens Deputy Director of Audubon North Carolina Walker Golder uses the discontinued Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR lens on his Nikon DSLR to capture images of birds. There are plenty of options available for everyone who has a good Nikon camera body in bird photography lenses. A lens of a fixed focal length that cannot be zoomed. Seeing a gorgeous bird in flight is awe-inspiring, but it can be difficult to translate that beauty into a photo. It also makes it very easy to use teleconverters, especially the built-in 1.4x TC. The XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS WR covers the focal length of 229mm 914mm in equivalent 35mm film terms and also supports Fujifilm's 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. Find out more about how we test. Focusing is very swift on Canon's two new mirrorless cameras, but could be quicker on the R and RP. This lens gives you telephoto superpowers in a relatively lightweight package. However, the modest f/11 rating enables a relatively compact and lightweight build with smaller-diameter lens elements. It boasts 2 focus modes with fast auto, silent focusing with a minimum focus range of 4.9 feet. Birds are tricky subjects for even the most experienced wildlife photographers; they move quickly, don't stay still for long, and they generally won't let you get very close without flying off. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. Give your opinion for 80-400 G ED VR on D850 and D500. The lens is under $600 and is among the cheapest lenses to achieve any bird photography. Bird photographers carrying a lot of gear find the 500mm f/4 a bit easier to travel with compared to the 600mm f/4. Due to its slower f/4 aperture, it is a much lighter lens than the 400mm f/2.8E VR. What are the best Nikon lenses for wildlife photography? B&H offers a good rundown of. 11 Best Lenses for Macro Photography (2023) Sigma Announces Three Lenses for Nikon Z-Mount Cameras 10 Best Travel Tripods You Can Buy (in 2023) Upcoming E-Mount Lenses: . Aperture: A faster lens like f/2.8 or f/4 allows you to use faster shutter speed, which is essential for bird photography. Image quality wise: an entry level Nikon DSLR matches the image quality you can get from any other camera in Nikon's line up . It has very impressive optical features and it delivers exceptionally good-looking images, especially at its maximum aperture of f/2.8. Interestingly, it is 3.25kg, which is not much heavier than the 2.9kg of the 300mm f/2.8. A 600mm f/4 is the gold standard for birding and other types of wildlife, and its a lens that still does not exist in Z-mount. The price is quite hefty though, at close to $14,000. It also lets you play with selective focus to highlight the birds in your shot, due to the aperture opening and the amount of light it lets in. An eliminated ghosting and flare while shooting backlit or semi-back-lit subjects results from this improved optics capability. The best lenses for bird photography will help you get close to wildlife and there are great options for every camera mount. If you can find a way to deal with the weight, this lens with a D500 would still be a very capable wildlife setup. Nikon budget: Nikon Z50. Sharpness is very good at or near 600mm but less impressive towards the short end of the zoom range. If you have a favorite lens of yours for wildlife photography that is not listed below, please feel free to add a comment at the bottom of the page with some information and links to pictures (if you have any that you would like to share). However, its weight and size are its biggest enemy. I have the 500mm f4g VR, a crazy sharp lens. For absolute beginners with a lesser budget, a non-VR version may suffice. It's not cheap, but less than half the price of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S. This recent addition to Sonys E-mount line-up has the same 600mm maximum focal length as Sigma and Tamron 150-600mm zooms for Canon and Nikon SLRs. If you are one of those, the best combination for bird photography would be something like the Nikon D5 or D500 + one of the above-mentioned lenses + 1.4x TC ( TeleConverter ), which will give you the best performance and reach. It is capable of producing relatively good bokeh, especially on its longest end, although its sharpness performance also drops quite a bit at 300mm. Both DSLR and mirrorless full-frames should be considered. Diaphragm control via electric signals from the camera body provides reliable AE control. Overall performance and image quality are excellent, although outright sharpness drops off a bit at the long end of the zoom range. More so, it has a focal range of 70-300mm. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. The autofocus takes a little setting up, and isn't quite as fast as that of rival lenses from Sony and Tamron, but this is still an impressive lens for birding. Then again, for maximum image quality at the longer focal lengths, the 600mm f/4 TC VR S would be the one to beat. With advancement, the quality has come quite close to prime. A stunning lens if you can justify the price - see our full Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR review (opens in new tab). Triple-mode image stabilization is switchable for static and panning shots, with an additional option for applying stabilization only during exposures. But this aint your daddys 400mm f/2.8. It does feature a Tripod Mode, to reduce camera shake from ground vibrations you might not even notice, as well as a Sport Mode that can be useful when youre following birds in flight. I have in fact met some people using this lens on a monopod. For bird photography, the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 Contemporary is the perfect complement to the S5's light and streamlined ergonomics perfect for the hand-held photographer on the go. Auto White Balance requires zero input from you, the photographer. In this list, we've included some of the best telephoto lenses (opens in new tab) around right now. The NIKKOR 70-300mm lens functions very well in daylight, but performance notably suffers in low light conditions, so youll want to invest in another lens if you plan to shoot often at nightfall. It is about $550 more expensive than the 100-400mm, so why would you get this lens instead? And I dont want to spend thousands more on new zooms. Pls. It has fully professional-grade build quality with comprehensive weather-seals and a dust-, freeze- and splash-proof construction. Its tripod-compatible VR offers up to 4 stops of Vibration Reduction. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. It has a vibration reduction of up to 5.5 stops. A unique Sport-VR helps take sharper images even while panning and using continuous shooting mode. If you want the ultimate versatility in a single lens, it would be hard to go wrong with the Nikon 180-400mm f/4E lens. The optical image stabilizer is effective on its own and even better when coupled with in-body stabilization, featured in later Sony Alpha A7 and A9 mirrorless cameras. These enable different behaviors in the autofocus speed and stabilization effect, as well as fine-tuning for autofocus accuracy for individual camera bodies, plus the application of firmware updates. You can switch focus mode by simply turning the focus ring. Optical quality is first-rate as you'd expect for a high-end Nikon prime, while the autofocus performance doesn't disappoint either. A specially shaped lens hood with a thumb and finger groove helps with this. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. This is not the lens you would pack in a backpack for hiking. You can only shoot at the widest aperture possible on older Nikon bodies. Nikon has one more wildlife lens on its roadmap: a 200-600mm zoom, which competes directly with the Sony 200-600mm lens. Or would you prefer the 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, which is a 400mm f/2.8 and a 560mm f/4? Has a 20.9MP resolution and records 4K video in ultra-high definition. But if you have the budget, then the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR II is the best option for image clarity. DDSSM (Direct Drive Super Sonic Motor) autofocus is super-fast and comes complete with customizable focus-hold buttons mounted around the barrel. Personally, I prefer to shoot landscape, nature and macro photography. The only downside of this lens is its eye-watering cost of $14000. It is a great buy that will get you to 300mm at just under $600 USD. Its a very good lens but rather expensive for a 100-400mm, and lacks the outright telephoto reach of more recent 150-600mm independent designs. These large animals often need much wider focal lengths around 200mm and it would be difficult to capture them with a fixed prime in all situations. I would suggest that for most people, this lens is a little bit short for wildlife, especially at $9500. The sheer range provided by Tamrons 150-600, especially when clubbed with a crop frame, is enough to enchant the buyers. For hobbyists, a zoom lens might be a better shot. An extreme telephoto lens, it can beautifully capture birds at a very long distance. No also f/1.4. Buy Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens: $2,696.95 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama. This has seen a weight saving of some 25%, though it still tips the scales at an arm-wobbling 3,810g. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The best lenses for bird photography provide you with enough magnification to fill the frame with a feathery subject and have a fast enough autofocus to track it as it moves. This is the first ultra-telephoto lens made for the APS-C format. The Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF lens was a breakthrough lens for Nikon. It provides an edge-to-edge sharpness and compatibility with all Nikon teleconverters for greater reach. And if you need an 800mm equivalent lens, you could always put a 2x TC on the 400mm f/2.8. The 5-axis stabilization mechanism will keep shots sharper towards the far end of the zoom range, and while the f/5.6-8 is limiting in low light conditions, you can't argue with the lens's performance overall especially given its price. Weather Resistance: Bird photography is out there in the wild. One of the newest Nikon telephoto lenses at the moment is the 600mm f/4 TC VR S. Just like the 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, this 600mm lens has a built-in 1.4x teleconverter. Nikons 300mm F2.8 is fondly called a super-telephoto lens. It is good. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Nikon Lenses for Bird Photography Nikon 200-500 mm Telephoto. The Silent Wave Motor further boosts this ability, helping create stable and dramatic images in the wild. Canon premium: Canon EOS R3. The best bird photography lenses help you grab those moments. Digital Camera World is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. However, the price tag is hefty at just above $12,000. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. The best telephoto lenses (opens in new tab) are generally getting lighter, and optical image stabilization systems make it possible to capture sharp images at the outer edge of a telephoto zoom, without having to use a tripod. 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Its three-mode stabilisation system helps out here too birders will probably get the most use out of Mode 3, which only applies the stabilisation effect during actual exposures, making it easier to track erratically moving subjects. Not only does its resolving power drop with the teleconverter engaged, but it will be a 560 f/5.6 at its longest end and hence not provide an advantage over the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 lens, which is nearly four times cheaper. Heres how it works. Without a doubt, wildlife photography is a very expensive hobby to have (unless you are so good that you can sell your pictures and make good money), especially once you add up all the gear and travel costs. Instead, it has one telephoto length, so it is best for searching the skies and the trees, rather than capturing birds right in front of you. Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access, Enjoy your first month for just 1 / $1 / 1, *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription. This grouping covers just about every bird-photography situation, from birds at rest to the most challenging erratically flying raptors. The best lenses for bird photography let you get closer to birds and capture incredibly sharp, beautiful images. The NIKKOR 200-500mm also features an autofocus system that you can override by turning the manual focus ring. Compatible Camera Mount: Canon EF Features Dust And Water Resistant Design Autofocus Is Both Smooth And Quiet Wide Focal Range Allows A Wide Variety Of Shots Best lens for street photography: NIKON AF NIKKOR 35MM F/2D. Dont worry, this article will be updated in October! It is about $550 more expensive than the 100-400mm, so why would you get this lens instead? This is especially true for mammals that are often active during these dark periods. The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF is the smallest 300mm f/4 lens because of its phase-fresnel (PF) technology that has subsequently been used in the F-mount 500mm f/5.6 PF and the Z-mount 800mm f/6.3. Again, not much to complain about in terms of optics and features. Because this lens is so new, its the only one here that our team at Photography Life hasnt used yet. Going up to 500mm, while not the longest lens on this list or even in the Sony section, is pretty handy, and it's helped by the Tamron lens's real ace in the hole: it's super-fast autofocus system. But it will come in handy on a third camera at some point on some wildlife expedition. In fact, Nikon specifically released the TC-20E III together with this lens, which makes this lens almost like a reference lens for use with teleconverters (with the TC-20E III, the lens becomes a 600mm f/5.6 lens). Autofocus is very quick and highly accurate and image quality is excellent overall, although sharpness drops off a little at the longest zoom setting. For longer reach, you can use the Nikon TC-14E III, which will give you 840mm of effective focal length to work with at f/5.6, although it certainly does not reach the insane resolving power of the native 800mm f/5.6 as we have shown in our tests on Photography Life. The cost difference between the two is significant. Read the full Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C review (opens in new tab). One can also double their effective focal length using teleconverters. Its main advantage over the 600mm f/4 is its weight and its length. The older model was bulky and heavy and needed a tripod for support at all times. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports, 13. This lens keeps pushing the boundaries. An accurate, high-quality focus powered by an upgraded Ultra Silent Drive (USD) motor results from fine engineering. The flip side is that no optional tripod mounting ring is available, which would have enabled a better balance, especially in portrait orientation shooting. Continuous high-speed photography is achievable through this type of AE control.